Caldera Fest erupts

Andrew Bird and his band perform Saturday at the inaugural Caldera Festival.

In a summer loaded with great music, Jackson got yet another treat Saturday with the outdoor Caldera Festival.

Andrew Bird wowed the crowd on the lawn outside Center for the Arts with his singing, guitar playing, fiddling and whistling. The show — part of a two-day event built around art — was an indie-lover’s dream. And with Bird wide-eyed at the beauty of Jackson Hole, the feeling appeared to be mutual.

“No one had to coerce me to come here,” he said, in a nod to the surroundings. “There was no twisting of arms.”

Bird shuffled between instruments, often looping the sound of one as he began playing another. He and opening artist Sharon Van Etten also used a rotating device called a “warbler” for distortion and other effects.

The festival, which began with a fashion show by Abbie Miller, marked a small triumph for Teton Artlab, which has hosted art-themed gatherings in recent years but had been seeking to put on a larger public event. If the enthusiastic response was any indication, there will be more like this to come.